like all the other organizations which had taken part in the capturing of manila, the utah batteries were without a home when they first entered the city. battery a found temporary quarters in a spacious nipa hut in the malate district, while battery b went into barracks in the odministracion de hacienda. several days later major young secured the cuartel de meisic, formerly occupied by a spanish engineer regiment, and battery a was stationed there august 18th. some days following battery b moved into the same building. the third artillery occupied the south half of the cuartel, and the batteries were domiciled in the east and west wings of the north half. the cuartel was a large and stalwart structure located in the most picturesque part of manila. south of it lay the business portion of manila, with its escolta, its plaza de cervantes, and its hotel de oriente; to the west was the marcadero teeming with rustic filipino maids and redolent with its oriental odors; stretching away to the north were the broad rice fields and forests of bamboo, with the mountains in the distance forming a background. it was a pleasant home and one which the men appreciated.

during the first few weeks of barrack life the men settled down serene in the thought that they would soon be speeding homeward. their duty had been done and they felt that they were now entitled to the happier pleasures of utah. but days passed, and were lengthened into weeks, weeks passed and were lengthened into months, and still they remained in the tropics with less hope of returning home than they had at first entertained. the novelty of their surroundings began to wear off and everything which the philippines could afford became decidedly commonplace. unable, therefore, to find other entertainments when off duty, as a pastime[pg 25] the men exchanged reminiscent fairy tales about their late combat. wearying of these occupations they often sauntered out of the cuartel in bodies in quest of what little mirth they could get out of the passive and inexplicable natives.

of course, there were drills and everybody liked them, as they produced such an excellent opportunity for one to give vent to his feelings after the drills were over with. those were happy hours which the men spent in sweltering under the genial warmth of the southern sun, and learning with a bitter vengeance the tactics of "dismounted drill." and "double time," too, was always a pleasant innovation as it generated a bodily heat to correspond with mental feelings and external influences. then there was always an appreciative audience of gaping nut-brown maids and matrons who took delight in watching the "soldado" go through his ever-changing evolutions. yes, those were days which the veteran will always look back upon with rapture.

at first some trouble was occasioned over the inadequate food supply; but that difficulty was soon obliterated. the then acting commissary sergeant was removed and a.l. williams, familiarly known among his admirers in the battalion by the euphonious prefixes of "dad" and "judge," was elevated to this position. under the judicious management of the judge a revolution was made in the department and the men waxed fat from the overflowing cornucopia of the commissary.

in those murky days of manila were other things which served to offset the oppressive blazonry of the tropic sun. in order to make the attire of the soldiers harmonize as much as possible with the requirements of the climate, light shirts and trousers were provided by the quartermaster's department. every week occurred a general inspection, to which the men were expected to appear housed in this startling white with polished shoes and flaming brass buckles. a very imposing appearance they made when lined up on these occasions.

the advent of the soldier vastly accelerated the trade of the native fruit venders in the vicinity of the cuartel, and as time wore on this peculiar product of[pg 26] the orient increased his sales by the addition of the deadly "vino," sometimes with rather disastrous results to the imbiber. that wondrous monument of human ingenuity commonly known as "army hardtack" formed the standard medium of exchange between the industrious fruit dealer and his overworked customer. the barred windows of the cuartel became the market ground for all the products of luzon, and through them many a luscious mango was exchanged for an adamantine biscuit upon which the soldier had vainly expended all his dental energy. the natives had full access to the barracks at this time, and the native washerwoman made the blanco trousers shine iridescently for inspection by beating them against the sunny side of a boulder and afterwards pressing them with a fearfully and wonderfully made flatiron.

hard by the cuartel were a number of "tiendas," widely known among the soldiers as "vino stands." the presiding spirit over one of these establishments was generally a pretty "mestiza," who, in addition to her natural charms, was blessed with a high-sounding castilian name. there were four shops run on the plan, which held pre-eminence both for the character of the "vino" which they supplied and the bewitching charms of their owners. the returned volunteer will remember with keen enjoyment "juanita," "juaquina," "victoriana," and above all "isabella," the saintly and virtuous, who was equally as skillful in obtaining the nimble sixpence as in raising a brood of mestiza children. there was also "madre," withered and antiquated, but a born dictator, and through her superior management she came to be known as the top-sergeant. finally there was ysabel, with a gentle smile upon her pleasant brunette face, and estepania, brown-eyed and plump, most beautiful among all the mestiza belles. isabella's casa was the place to which the eyes of the weary soldier turned after a long and fatiguing drill; afterwards it was the point to which his footsteps inevitably led when he was able to rush in for a few days from the firing line. the house was large and spacious, with polished ebony floors and wide windows through[pg 27] which the balmy zephyrs blew and kissed the heated brow of the tired fighter. beautiful creepers twisted their way up the wall and stole in at the extensive balcony to catch a taste of the pleasures within; the broadleafed banana palm surrounded the casa and broke the power of the blazing tropic sun. it was, indeed, the one spot in all the east which made the home-loving utahns feel at home. when away all his secret longings were centered upon that place and its attractions, and his mouth yearned for a renewed acquaintance with the delicate omelets fashioned by the dainty fingers of pania and the crab brought from the bay by the ubiquitous peek-a-boo. his mind reverted with gratitude to the anxious solicitations of "madre" when she learned that he was suffering from a headache and he acutely remembered the healing balm which she applied to his fevered brow. he knew, too, that should he be struck down in death by the bullet of the enemy, what tears of sympathy would be shed at the news of his misfortune.

the one source of worriment about the isabella mansion was the fact that the thirsty soldiers were frequently[pg 28] given an over supply of the deadly vino. such an occurrence was attended with dire results; but as the motherly "madre" was blessed with an abundant store of remedies, under her care the victim was soon restored to his mental equilibrium. all soldiers seem gifted with special powers to spend money and as a consequence few of them could command the attention of a penny bootblack twenty-four hours after being paid, but this weakness had no weight with the kindly old dame who carried a large credit roll and could refuse nothing to a utah soldado. so isabella's mansion forms a part of the war history of the utah batteries; and it must be remembered with other and more stirring scenes; for when the thoughts of the utah soldier stray to the domicile of the isabella family they are mingled with happy reminiscences and strange memories and tragic sights.

one hundred and four weary and footsore recruits arrived in the cuartel on the 28th of august and deposited their blankets and all other portable property on the greensward. they had been waiting out in the bay four days and had finally reached the cuartel after having made a complete circuit of the city. sergeant arthur w. brown piloted the new batch of volunteers to their home, and ever since the redoubtable sergeant has borne a reputation, as a file leader, which would make a mexican burro grow green-eyed with envy.

here it might be stated that after watching the fleet of transports, which conveyed the utah batteries, sail out of the rugged golden gate into the broad pacific, lieutenant e.a. wedgewood and sergeants arthur w. brown and l.n. fehr turned toward utah bent on the mission of securing 104 recruits, which would give each battery its full quota of 173. volunteers were numerous but the work of enlisting covered a period of nine days. recruits were obtained from all points in the state but the majority came from salt lake city. on the 28th of june the full number had been enrolled and the following day the small body of men left for san francisco, after being accorded a warm demonstration at the depot. at oakland they remained all night of the[pg 29] 30th and the following morning they marched to camp merritt, from which place they were removed to the presidio two days later.

late in june lieutenant wedgewood was taken ill with typhoid fever but remained with the men until july 6th, when he was taken to the lane hospital and lieutenant diss of the california heavy artillery was placed temporarily in charge of the recruits. orders were for the utah contingent to sail on the transport "rio de janeiro," and as the south dakota infantry was the only organization on the vessel lieutenant foster of that regiment was given command of the men.

the voyage was uneventful save that the soldiers were ill-treated by lieutenant foster, who succeeded in gaining for himself the eternal hatred of the men under his charge. as the recruits were then unacquainted with military practices, many expressions of disgust being made in an unguarded way, reached the ears of the worthy lieutenant, who heaped still greater indignities upon the men by way of retaliation.

at honolulu w.a. kinney, the large plantation owner, entertained the utahns during their brief stay in that city.

the "rio de janeiro" arrived in manila bay on the 24th of august, but it was four days later before the recruits set foot on the soil of luzon and made their phenomenal march up the streets of manila to plaza de felipe ii, where they greeted their comrades.

lieutenant wedgewood, having recovered from his fever, arrived october 4th on the "scandia," which left san francisco on august 27th.

during the long dreary days following the arrival of the recruits their life was not entirely joyous. from sunrise to sunset they were forced to listen to the blood-curdling tales which their companions told of the late conflict with the "dons." at first they hearkened to them with respectful attention. they never doubted the truth of these glowing fairy stories. they revered these self-lauding heroes as a species of immortal beings. in return for this tributary deference they were treated with contempt. the veteran called them "rookies," and[pg 30] whenever one of them attempted to soar he was promptly and sternly reminded of his inferiority and kindly invited to get off the pedestal upon which he had so unwittingly placed himself while one of his superiors proceeded to relate a harrowing tale of blood and thunder and rain down in the trenches. every bit of rainy weather or glorious sunset reminded the malate hero of something he had seen in the trenches and at once he began to dilate upon it with great attention to details and a lofty air of his own importance.

so it went on. the recruits vainly sought for relief. he tried to stem the tide of persecution by relating stories of his own. but as soon as he made such an attempt he was immediately "bawled out" and his tormentors proceeded with a fresh tirade. finally one of the groaning victims hit upon a happy plan, and after it was carried out it effectually stopped the torture. when in the future the mendacious veteran essayed to array himself in a cloud of glory by narrating legends of personal prowess, he was unceremoniously suppressed by the rookies, who sang:

it may be so; i do not know,

but it sounds to me like a lie.

instantly upon the starting of this little hymn it was taken up by every soldier in the barracks and the unlucky veteran, crestfallen and beaten, was only too glad to retire into seclusion.

during those five months in which the soldier was learning the peculiarities of oriental life and sweltering under the rays of the southern sun, he adopted any means of causing the speedy destruction of time. after the singularities of his new surroundings had ceased to be uncommon he began to look about himself in search of other amusement. naturally a person who adapts himself easily to his environments, he took up with the games of the filipinos, and, as a consequence, soon after the appearance of the american as a prominent figure on the streets of manila, it was no unusual occurrence to behold the huge, good-natured yankee engaged in friendly sport with the diminutive and fiery tagalan.[pg 31]

as cock-fighting is the national game of the native the soldier seized upon this diversion with an enthusiasm that was truly remarkable. the slender and wiry game cock was in great demand. the feathered pugilist became the hero of the hour. the price of "pollos" jumped above par two or three times over. on the shady side of every street could be seen little knots of men eagerly awaiting the outcome of a battle in which these kings among all the fowl tribe were engaged. and the victory was not decided without great loss, for frequently the champion proclaimed himself conqueror by mounting the gory body of his late enemy and crowing with great vigor. men bet on their favorites with as much fervor as an ardent proselyte of mohammed utters praises to his maker from the housetop at sunrise.

but even this pastime was too tame for the restless nature which constantly pined for the more exciting fun of america. so the chicken stock suddenly declined in value, and that of the swine took a corresponding rise, when there was talk of organizing a football association. this plan, however, lost its popularity after several practices on the "gridiron"—the climate of luzon had its drawbacks when it came to punting the pigskin. the requirements for a good football game are a temperature of 6 degrees below zero, and a field covered with a four-inch layer of snow and a corresponding thickness of soft mud underneath. as the philippines are sadly deficient in the first two articles, it was decided to drop "rugby" in favor of baseball.

throughout the eighth army corps this proposition was received with great warmth. every organization had its team. some influential men of manila offered inducements to the winning nine; the american commercial company agreed to present a silver cup to the team which could score the most points. arrangements were made for matches, and rival teams soon met on the diamond at the lunetta. utah was not to be outdone even in baseball; any man who had ever played ball or looked at a diamond was invited to join the team, and after this liberal request, it took no great time for the battalion to put a pretty good organization into the[pg 32] field. soon the husky farmers from utah were pitted against the powerful "pumpkin rollers" from nebraska, and the sturdy pennsylvanians fought for honors with the wyoming cowboys.

those were pleasant hours when the sons of america met under the tropic sky on a foreign soil and exchanged friendly greeting in their national game. not a follower of the "stars and stripes" was there but felt happier and prouder after such a day. home seemed nearer by half than it ever had before. and the natives, too, came in for a share of the rejoicing; they liked to see the "grande americano" perform his antics with the ball; they, too, gathered in knots and talked and gesticulated and laughed and cheered. the irrepressible small boy was everywhere present, with his sarsaparilla, his peanuts and his slabs of cocoanut candy. there were those who made his trade profitable and those who preferred something of a more fiery nature. that also could be obtained for the asking.

so the games went on by the side of the great swelling sea, and the roll of the surf mingled with the merry tones of the players. battles were fought and fields were won on the diamond and utah carried the trophy away to america.

while there were some things which excited the curiosity, others which aroused the attention, and still others which seemed to rivet men's minds for a short time on certain subjects, yet they all paled into insignificance before the magic of that one word "mail!"

on a quiet sultry day, when all nature except the sun seemed to be taking a rest and when nothing but the bugle call for dinner could prove that a spark of life remained in the barracks, the announcement that mail had arrived would transform that peaceful quiet building into an eastern bazar, with all of its accessions. at the mention of that word the stolid sentry, pacing his beat with languid steps, instantly quickened into life; the motionless somnolent forms lying on the canvas cots sprang from their recumbent positions, strangely wide awake; the groups of men engaged in a social game[pg 33] of cards, instantly scattered for that new field of interest. the first sergeant's office became a scene of the greatest activity. an eager, excited crowd gathered around; cheeks and noses were pressed against the iron grating, while the ear listened intently for familiar names. happy was he who received a goodly supply.

there were those who turned away crestfallen and disappointed, there were others who remained behind and hungrily eyed their more fortunate comrades, as they knew they had no loved ones to write to them. when the mail had been distributed the barracks again relapsed into silence, but it was a wide awake silence, not a sultry, oppressive one. then was reading of letters which told of love and friendship and hope; then were familiar scenes brought before the imagination to renew acquaintances which had begun to grow dim; then were sighs heard for dear home and mother. newspapers and magazines were not unpopular. the letters read, then the papers were devoured. long articles, short articles, advertisements and pictures were consumed with equal eagerness, and when every visible portion had been absorbed they were held up to the light to see if they contained anything on the inside. such was mail day in manila, and the story proceeds.[pg 34]

in the early days of barrack life, men talked of returning home to celebrate thanksgiving, but after october had begun to decline it became evident that these fond hopes were not to be realized.

then the inventive yankee proceeded to devise means to give thanks in the good old fashioned way in spite of climate and strange country. the luzon turkey in all respects does not compare favorably with his american cousin, yet he is "turkey," and that goes a great way when it comes to celebrating thanksgiving.

it was upon this peculiar species of the feathered race that the batterymen fastened their attentions. turkeys were secured, and they served as a nucleus about which all preparations centered. several weeks prior to the gala day most elaborate arrangements were made. the soldiers gathered in knots and discussed the coming event. it had a particular interest with them as they anticipated something more palatable than the ordinary "hardtack and slum-gullion." nor were their expectations disappointed, for, when the day came in all its glory, the commissary had proved itself equal to the occasion. all the powers of the culinary art had been brought to bear upon the leathery tendons of this turkey of the east. it had been fried and flayed until the very air of the barracks became aromatic with its savor. even the hungry natives scented the perfumed air and gathered at the entrances to inspect the delicacies more closely.

at length the tables were prepared and the ravenous warriors seated themselves. then were the victuals attacked with vigor; the enemy brought forth all his fighting force; he assaulted the front with deadly effect; simultaneously he attacked the flank and the rear; he cut, he hacked, he slashed, he dissected and tore, until there was nothing left of his victim but the skeleton, and even this he eyed ravenously. of course there were pies and cakes and cranberries and fruits and greens and vegetables, and they, too, suffered. of the squash family there were not a few, the favorite pumpkin was wanting, but then the lack of it had been long since supplied by the desiccated potato, and the consumer felt no secret[pg 35] pangs at its absence. thus thanksgiving passed on and christmas came with its bevy of holiday boxes, and its "peace on earth good will to men;" but while the american was still thinking of the light of peace, there came the low rumbling of impending gloom; his ears were startled by the distant thunder of the voice of war; he knew it to be the opening peal of the awakening insurrection and his attention turned to the more serious matter of the imminent conflict. a more powerful enemy than his late foe menaced him from all sides.